Railroad car bed



Aug. 1, 1961 J. A. BONIDIE RAILROAD CAR BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1960 INVENTOR. JAMES A. Bowen:

AT TO 2 N EYS Aug. 1, 1961 J. A. BONlDlE RAILROAD CAR BED Filed Jan. 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JAMES A. BONHDIE ATTCD QNEYS United States Patent 2,994,159 RAILROAD CAR BED James A. Bonidie, 1550 Napoleon St., Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Jan. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 4,068 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-218) This invention relates to railway cars, and more particularly to a toy railway car of the type provided with a pivoted bed which may be rotated to a position to load or unload a toy vehicle, such as a toy automobile, or the like, to and from a toy loading ramp positioned alongside the toy railway vehicle.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved railway vehicle construction which involves relatively simple components, which is easy to operate, and which provides a realistic stimulation of an actual railway car adapted to carry an automobile or similar wheeled vehicle thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved toy railway freight car which is realistic in appearance, which is durable in construction, and which is provided with a pivoted loading platform element which may be at times lowered to allow a toy vehicle to be loaded or unloaded, and which is normally lockingly engaged with the main body portion of the toy railway vehicle so that it is held in a substantially horizontal position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved toy freight car according to the present invention, shown stationed alongside a loading ramp, also forming part of the present invention, the vehicle being illustrated as carrying a toy automobile which is to be unloaded therefrom.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective View, similar to FIGURE 1, showing the manner in which the bed of the toy railway car is rotated to an unloading position and the rotatable platform element thereof is lowered to allow the toy automobile to be deposited onto the loading ramp.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a toy railway car according to the present invention. The railway car 11 comprises an elongated main supporting body 12, the body being provided with the depending side flange portions 13, 13 formed with tab elements between which are journaled transverse toy axles 14 on which the wheels 15 are journaled. The wheels 15 are adapted to supportingly engage on the toy railway track 16 in the usual manner.

The wheeled elongated main body portion 12 is provided with an elongated load-supporting bed member which is substantially coextensive in length and width with the main body 12, the bed member comprising a first flat bed element 17 and a second flat bed element 18 which is hingedly connected to the first flat bed element 17 on a transverse horizontal hinge axis, as shown at 19. Thus, the forward end of the bed element 18 is hinged at 19 to the rear end of the bed element 17, the respective bed elements being approximately of equal length.

The first bed element 17 is provided with an upstanding vertical peripheral wall 20 which terminates at the rear, substantially vertical edges 21, 21. The hinged bed element 18 is provided with upstanding longitudinal walls 22, 22 having inclined forward edges 23, 23, said edges being disposed adjacent to the vertical edges 21 but 2,994,159 Patented Aug. 1, 1961 being inclined with respect thereto at an acute angle when the hinged bed element 18 is in a substantially horizontal position, as shown in FIGURE 3, whereby clearance is provided for allowing the hinged bed element 18 to be elevated from the horizontal, for example, to the dotted view position thereof shown in FIGURE 3.

The vertical longitudinal walls 22 of the hinged bed element 18 are provided with the rounded rearwardly extending portions 24, 24, said portions flaring rearwardly, as shown in FIGURE 1, and extending substantial distances beyond the rear transverse edge 25 of the bottom wall of bed element 18.

Rigidly secured on the rear transverse margin of the wheeled main supporting body 12 is the transversely extending vertical upstanding wall member 26 which is formed at its lower portion with the inwardly offset supporting step or shoulder 27 which is engageable by the transverse rear marginal portion of the bottom wall of bed element 18 to support the bed element 18 in a substantially horizontal position, as shown in FIGURE 3. In this position the vertical transverse rear wall element 26 is lockingly receivable between the rearwardly extending locking elements 24, 24 of the longitudinal walls 22, 22 of bed element 18, whereby to retain the bed member comprising the hingedly connected members 117 and 18 in a position longitudinally aligned with and superimposed on the main supporting body 12 of the vehicle.

The first bed element 17 is pivotally connected at 30 to the main supporting body 12 at a position located along the longitudinal center line of the main supporting body and spaced from the transverse hinge 19 by a distance greater than one-half the width of the main supporting body 12, said distance being sufiicient to allow the hinged bed element 18 to be lowered when the load-supporting bed member, comprising the elements 17 and 18 is rotated to a position substantially transverse to the main body member 12, as shown in FIGURE 2.

The pivotal connection 30 may comprise a vertical rivet, as shown, the rivet extending through the horizontal bottom wall of the bed element 17, through a spacer washer 31 interposed between element 17 and the horizontal wall of the main body member 12, through said horizontal wall of main body 12, and through a bearing washer 32 provided subjacent the horizontal wall of said main body member 12. The spacer member 31 is of sutlicient diameter to support the bed element 17 in a substantially horizontal position while it is rotated around the axis of the pivot member 30'.

Designated at 33 is a simulated ramp which comprises a suitable platform having an arcuately curved inclined front marginal edge 34 and provided with a suitable sign post 35 pivoted at 36 to one side edge of the ramp. The sign post 35 is integrally formed with a simulated sign 37 which is normally horizontally engageable on the top surface of the ramp 33, namely, when the sign post 35 is folded to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 1, but which is adapted to be elevated to the upstanding exposed position shown in FIGURE 2 when the post element 35 is raised to its vertical position. As shown in FIGURE 2, the ramp member 33 is adapted to be positioned alongside the toy railway tracks in a position to receive a toy automobile or similar vehicle 36' carried on the toy freight car 111. The bed element 17 is provided with a load-binding member comprising a ring 3.7 connected to the top marginal portion of one side wall of the bed element 17, an elastic band 38 being connected to the ring member and being provided at its free end with a hook member 39 which is lockingly engageable with an aperture 40 provided in the top marginal portion of the opposite side wall of bed element 17, whereby the elastic band 38 willclampingly engage over the toy automobile 36, or any other load carried on the toy freight car bed.

As is readily apparent from FIGURE 2, in order to unload the toy automobile 36 or similar wheeled vehicle carried on the toy freight car, the ramp 33 is placed in unloading position, as shown in FIGURE 2, and the load supporting bed member comprising the bed elements 17 and 18 is rotated to a transverse position. In order to rotate the bed member to a transverse position, it is first necessary to elevate the hinged bed element 18 sufiiciently to clear the upstanding fixed transverse wall 26; namely, to the dotted view position shown in FIGURE 3, whereupon the bed assembly may be rotated from the longitudinal position thereof shown in FIGURE 1 to the transverse position thereof shown in FIGURE 2, wherein the hinged bed element 18 may be allowed to descend until the extensions 24, 24 engage on the top surface of the ramp member 33. The load binding member may then be disengaged, releasing the toy vehicle 36 and allowing said vehicle to be discharged from the transversely positioned bed assembly in the manner illustrated in dotted view in FIGURE 2. Similarly, a toy vehicle may be loaded onto the bed assembly with the hinged bed element 18 in its transversely extending lowered position, shown in FIGURE 2.

As will be readily apparent, after a toy vehicle 36', or similar freight article has been loaded onto the bed assembly, the bed assembly may be rotated to its longitudinal position, shown in FIGURE 1, the hinged bed element 18 being elevated sufiiciently to clear the transversely extending fixed rear wall 26, after which the hinged bed element 18 may be lowered to allow the upstanding transverse wall 26 to be received between the rearwardly extending locking extensions 24, 24.

While a specific embodiment of an improved toy freight vehicle has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle of the character described, an elongated wheeled main supporting body, an elongated load-supporting bed member on said main body, said bed member comprising a first flat bed element, a second flat bed element, means hingedly connecting one end of said second bed element to an end of said first bed element for rotation on a tranverse horizontal axis, means pivotally connecting said first bed element to said main supporting body for rotation on a vertical axis, the hinge connection of said first and second bed elements being spaced sufliciently from said vertical axis so as to be located outwardly of the side margin of said main body when said bed member is rotated to a position substantially transverse to said main body, an upstanding transversely extending wall member on said main body, and upstanding longitudinal wall members on said second bed element spaced to lockingly receive said transversely extending wall member therebetween when said bed member is disposed in a substantially longitudinally aligned, superimposed relation with said main body, said longitudinal wall members cooperating with said transversely extending wall member to define a portion of a load-receiving enclosure on said bed member.

2. In a vehicle of the character described, an elongated wheeled main supporting body, an elongated load-supporting bed member on said main body, said bed member comprising a first fiat bed element, a second flat bed element, means hingedly connecting one end of said second bed element to an end of said first bed element for rotation on a transverse horizontal axis, means pivotally connecting said first bed element to said main sup porting body for rotation on a vertical axis, the hinge connection of said first and second bed elements being spaced sufiiciently from said vertical axis so as to be located outwardly of the side margin of said main body when said bed member is rotated to a position substantially transverse to said main body, an upstanding transverse wall on one end of said main body, and upstanding opposing longitudinal side walls on said second bed element of sufficient length to extend beyond and spaced to lockingly receive said transverse wall therebetween when said bed member is disposed substantially in a longitudinally aligned, superimposed relation with said main body, said longitudinal side walls cooperating with said transverse wall to define a portion of a load-receiving enclosure on said bed member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 607,103 West July 12, 1898 675,371 Bragge June 4, 1901 1,699,882 Ferguson Jan. 22, 1929 2,246,543 Smith June 24, 1941 

